Grand Anthem for SATB Choir, accompanied or
a cappellaFestivals, Concert, General

The Text: This rather unassuming passage from the daily
Ma'ariv (Evening) service speaks of the Israelites being led through the
divided waters of Yam Suf - the Sea of Reeds (a.k.a. the Red Sea),
conveying the precept of this grand event as transformative and
epoch-making in the lives of the Israelites, in the life of Israel.

The Music: The piece opens in a
tentative, brooding march
mode, depicting the initially hesitant, halting steps down into the bed
of the parted waters. Gradually, the music builds in determination
and confidence, even as it plunges to the depths as Pharaoh's pursuing
army is inundated and drowned.

Out of a harmonically shifting chromatic
passage, the music transforms into a victorious major version of the
original brooding theme. Israel's trust in divine providence is
justified, as she breaks forth into a song of praise and thanksgiving.

Given its theme, grand setting and vivid pictorial
images, Hama'avir Banav is eminently apropos to the great festival of
Passover, and highly suitable for concert use in either its accompanied
or a cappella version.

This work is moderately challenging for its
highly chromatic shifting harmonies, particularly just before the
thrilling transition into the sweeping major section. It requires a choral ensemble with vocal capabilities to achieve the
soaring lines of the last section of the piece - particularly in the
soprano and tenor - and an overall grand effect. The a cappella
version is even slightly more demanding, calling for a bass section
capable of sustaining low E's through much of the piece.